Marigold Pelham's First Christmas
by Loveedith
Summary: Fluffy glimpses of Edith and Bertie's first Christmas as a married couple. All seen through Marigold's almost four-years-old eyes.
1. The First Christmas

It was Marigold Pelham's first Christmas.

...

She was almost four, so of course there had been other Christmases before in her life. But she wasn't Marigold Pelham then.

There had even been a Christmas that she remembered, a year ago. There had been a very big tree in the hall of the house where she lived before. And mountains of presents under it.

...

But the Christmas hadn't been as important as the wedding that came some days after.

Marigold had got a cute bunny and a beautiful doll and a big box of building blocks and a couple of books with pictures in them on that Christmas day. But the most important Christmas presents she got after the wedding - her Mama and her Papa. Of course she had Mama before that, but she had only been Aunt Edith then.

But now Marigold had both a Mama and a Papa. She knew she was fortunate, not every child had that.

...

On that weddingday Marigold was carrying a small basket with flowers and holding Sybbie's hand when they entered the church with Donk and Mama - Aunt Edith. Mama had a beautiful white dress, but Marigold's own white dress was even more beautiful.

Her new Papa was waiting for them in church, and then she and Sybbie sat down. Then there was a lot of talking and some singing.

After that Marigold became Marigold Pelham. Pelham was her Papa's name.

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AN: Thank you for reading! Please leave a comment!

...

This is the first of a series of short glimpses of the first Christmas for Edith and Bertie as a married couple, all seen from Marigold's point of view. This is the only one I have written yet, let's see if there will be any more!


	2. The Advent Calendar

Marigold's Papa had bought her an Advent Calendar.

...

There was a lovely picture on it, really, really beautiful. Many small girls with wings were decorating a Christmas tree. Perhaps they were angels - very small angels - Marigold thought.

The picture was full of flaps that you could open, like little doors. Almost every bell or candle or bauble in the picture had a door on it.

Marigold wanted to open them all at once, but Papa explained that Marigold could only open one each day.

There would be a small picture under each one of the flaps. Every flap had a number, and it was important to open them in the right order. When they were all open it would be Christmas.

...

"Let us open one of them together every day", Papa said after he had put the Calendar up on the nursery wall. "Today is the first of December, so you can open the one with number one on. Do you know which one is number one?"

Marigold looked on the flaps until she found a bauble with a number one on. She pointed to that.

"Yes, that is right", Papa said with a smile. "You are such a clever girl. Now open it!"

There was a sweet little Teddy Bear inside with a bow around its neck.

"Oh, that is pretty!" Marigold exclaimed.

...

The calendar was a lovely idea. It gave Marigold something to look forward to every day. Her and Papa both.

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AN: Thank you for reading! Thank you for the nice comments to last chapter!

...

I will try to publish a chapter every day or at least every second day until Christmas. So each chapter has to be very short. Just a little glimpse, as I said. It will be hard enough to keep it up.


	3. The New Granny

When Marigold got her new Papa and Mama and her new last name after her parent's wedding she had also got a new Grandmother, Granny Pelham. Her first name was Patricia, but Marigold was told just to call her Granny.

...

Kinships and relationships had always seemed a little strange and difficult to understand for Marigold. Granny Pelham was Papa's mother, that was the reason she was now Marigold's granny. Papa used to call Granny Mother.

Marigold thought that Papa was much too big to need a mother. But then again, Granny Cora and Grandpa Donk were Mama's mother and father, although Mama was also too grown up to need that.

And strangest of all was Granny Violet, who was Donk's mother. So Marigold's mother was called Edith, _her_ father was called Robert and _his_ mother was called Violet.

Mama had been Aunt Edith before she and Papa married, but Granny Cora had always been Granny. At least she had never objected when Marigold called her that, like the other children did. And Donk was Donk to all the children.

Donk wasn't really a relationship.

...

George had a Granny of his own called Isobel, who wasn't Granny to either Marigold or Sybbie. But she was always kind and friendly to all of them, like a real granny should, so it didn't really matter that she only belonged to George.

George had a new Papa now called Henry. But Henry didn't have Granny Isobel as his mother. That had been George's other father, the one he had when he was a very small baby.

...

It was all very strange.

Perhaps Marigold would understand it when she got a little older.

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AN: Thank you for reading! Thank you for the lovely reviews!


	4. The Only Child

Marigold was the only child who lived at Brancaster. She wasn't at all used to that.

Mama and Papa and Granny and Nanny and all the servants were all very kind to her. The cook let her help her in the kitchen, just like Mrs Patmore had done.

All the grown-ups liked to play with Marigold. But playing with a grownup is not the same as playing with another child. So Marigold often missed Sybbie and George.

...

They had all visited Downton a couple of times since they moved. Marigold had thought that it was wonderful to play with Sybbie and George again. Sybbie and her Papa had also come to Brancaster to see Marigold, so Marigold and her Mama had showed them the castle. Donk and Granny Cora had of course come to see them too - many, many times. But they were not children - although Donk liked very much to play.

Last time they were at Downton George had got a new little brother. He was just a little baby, too small to play with, but George had still been happy that he wasn't the only boy in the family any longer.

There was another little boy there already before George's little brother was born. He was called John. Marigold wasn't certain where he came from. He was still small, but bigger than George's brother. He could crawl and he laughed in a very funny way when Marigold played peek-a-boo with him.

...

Marigold was going to go to the village school later on and then she would have plenty of children to play with. But she wasn't old enough for school yet.

First there was going to be Christmas...

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AN: Thank you for reading! Thank you for the kind comments!


	5. The Nativity Scene

"There used to be a wonderful nativity scene here at Brancaster", Marigold's Granny said one day when they were all drinking tea in Granny's flat. "Do you remember?"

...

She asked Papa this, of course. Papa had been here when he was a boy. Marigold herself had no way of remembering something like that, and Mama had grown up in another house.

"Yes", Papa said. "But I don't think I have seen it since Peter's mother died. Peter himself wasn't much interested in Christmas."

"It was very, very beautiful", Granny told Mama. "And probably very old."

"That sounds lovely", Mama said.

"I was thinking of trying to find it, if it is alright with you, Edith", Granny said. "I can ask the servants if they know where it is."

"Yes, please do!" Mama said.

"Perhaps Marigold can help me look for it?" Granny added. "Would you like that, darling?"

Marigold liked the idea very much. It sounded exciting, especially since she didn't know exactly what a nativity scene was.

...

The next day Marigold and Granny and Mama were sorting through many boxes of porcelain figures. They had found them in a store-room and two footmen had carried them down into the big hall where they were going to put them up on a sideboard.

Granny and Mama were as excited as Marigold when they got each figure out of its paper wrapping. There was a Joseph, a Mary and a little Jesus in his crib. There were angels, shepherds, lambs, oxen, camels and the tree wise men. There were also some palm trees and a stable with a star above it.

This was probably the most beautiful thing Marigold had ever seen.

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AN: Thank you for reading. Thank you for all the nice comments!


	6. The New Child

Marigold knew that Christmas was all about children. The children were given parcels to open, and little baby Jesus was born in a stable at Christmas.

This Christmas another child was going to be born.

...

A long time earlier she had been out walking with Mama and Papa. She had run around them, sometimes in front of them, sometimes behind, looking for beautiful pebbles and cones and twigs. Mama and Papa had been talking softly to each other.

"I think it is time for us to tell her", Mama said.

"Yes, I agree", Papa said. "Otherwise someone else will tell her soon enough."

...

They all sat down on a bench by the path and Mama took Marigold on her lap.

"Well, darling, there is something we want to tell you", Mama said.

Mama sounded so serious, Marigold was afraid she was going to tell her something bad.

"It is something _good_ ", Papa added. "Something that will happen this Christmas." Perhaps he could see how worried Marigold was.

"Yes", Mama said. "This Christmas you are going to get a little brother or sister."

That was just about the best Christmas Present Marigold could wish for.

"Oh!" she said. "I will love that!"

...

They walked on for a while, Marigold holding Mama and Papa's hands. Then she started thinking.

"Will I get a brother or sister _every_ Christmas?" she asked.

"Do you think we can keep that up?" Papa said to Mama with a smile. Mama smiled back at him before she answered.

"No, darling, it is just this Christmas. Little babies come when they want to. Let's wait for this one first, then we will see if there will be any others. But probably not at Christmas."

* * *

AN: Thank you for reading! Thank you for all the lovely comments!


	7. The New Home

Marigold's loved her new Papa and her new Granny. She also loved the big castle they all lived in. But sometimes she missed Downton.

...

Marigold had been scared when she and Granny Cora were about to travel to Branchester. She had been so little then, and she didn't know what was going to happen. The grown-ups had tried to explain it to her, but she hadn't understood it all.

She had just got a Mama - Aunt Edith told her to call her Mama now - and a Papa. But Mama had said that she and Papa would go away, and later they would come back to the new place they would live in. It was Papa's house, but Marigold wondered why Papa couldn't live at Downton, like George's new Papa did.

Mama and Papa had both come to say good-bye to Marigold that evening when Mama and Marigold had taken off their white dresses. Mama wasn't dressed in a night-gown though, she had put on a beautiful blue dress.

"I will miss you every day", Mama said and hugged Marigold for a long, long time.

Papa looked at them.

"I will also miss you , Marigold", he said then, very softly. "And I'm looking forward to seeing you again at Brancaster. Your new home, Mama's new home and actually my own new home also."

...

And after that they were gone, Mama and Papa both.

Marigold had lived in the nursery for some more time, playing with Sybbie and George.

She missed her Mama.

She didn't really miss her Papa. He was nice and she liked him but she hadn't known him long enough to miss him.

Yet.

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AN: Thank you for reading! Thank you for the lovely reviews!


	8. The Big Tummy

As Christmas was getting closer, Marigold's Mama's tummy was getting bigger.

There was not much room left in Mama's lap for Marigold to sit on now. But it was still possible, Marigold only had to hold on to Mama a little harder so she wouldn't slip off.

...

Every little baby lived in its mama's tummy until it was born. Marigold herself had lived in Mama's tummy a long time ago.

Now she was way too big for that, of course. Soon she would even be a big sister.

The whole thing was very interesting, Marigold thought. Sometimes Mama put Marigold's hand against her tummy. Then she could feel something moving there inside. It was the little baby's foot that was kicking, Mama explained.

"I could feel you kicking like that also, before you were born", Mama said with a smile.

...

As Mama's tummy grew bigger she changed in other ways as well.

Mama couldn't sit on the floor and play with Marigold any longer. It was too difficult for her to get up again. It was like Mama had suddenly become as old as Granny Violet. So they played at a table insted, putting together jig-saw puzzles, painting and building with Marigold's building blocks.

...

"How is the little baby going to come out?" Marigold asked one day. "What if it gets stuck inside?"

Mama smiled.

"Don't worry about that", she said. "It will come out. You came out, didn't you? I'm sure there will be no problems."

"Let's hope so", Papa said.

Perhaps he and Mama were a little worried anyhow, although they both tried not to show it.

* * *

AN: Thank you for reading! Thank you for the nice reviews! Please leave a comment!


	9. The Long Journey

Early one morning Marigold and Granny Cora left Downton. They would't arrive at Brancaster until late in the afternoon. They were going by car and then train and then another train. Then by another car, Brancaster's car.

Granny was going to stay with Marigold at Brancaster until Mama and Papa returned. Marigold also had her new Granny there. Marigold had met her a couple of times already and she was always nice and friendly.

Nanny Holt was coming with them to Brancaster but she was going back to Downton again with Granny Cora. Marigold was going to get a new nanny of her own at Brancaster.

...

Marigold was getting so many new things. A new Papa, a new Granny, a new Mama - well new as Mama at least - a new home. New furniture, a new nursery.

New almost everything.

It was nice to get new things, but also a little scary.

Most of Marigold's things were going with her to Brancaster, though. Her clothes and toys were packed into trunks and suit cases. One thing after another was packed away over the weeks.

Teddy and Flip, the bear and the toy bunny, were never packed away. They were going to travel together with Marigold and Granny.

...

The train journey was very exciting. Marigold had gone by train before, but just a few times. She was sitting in Granny's lap most of the time with Teddy and Flip in her own lap.

Flip had never gone by train before. He was so new, born just a couple of weeks ago from a Christmas parcel. Marigold could feel how excited he was, sitting there in her lap, looking out of the window with his big blue eyes.

* * *

AN: Thank you for reading! Thank you for the kind comments!


	10. The Loveliest Fir-tree

"Will we have a big tree inside the castle?" Marigold asked Mama. "Like we had at Downton?"

"Yes darling! Of course we will. That is a very important part of Christmas."

"We didn't have one last year", Granny said. "There were so many other things to prepare before the wedding. And only me and Bertie here over Christmas, no children."

Marigold was afraid that Granny thought children were causing trouble, but that was not so at all.

"This Christmas will be very much nicer, with Marigold here", Granny said with a smile. "And perhaps the baby will be born by then also."

...

Next morning after breakfast Papa came to the nursery to open the Calendar.

"It is number ten today", he said. "That is a number one with a zero after it."

"What is a zero?" Marigold asked.

"Just a ring", Papa said. "Zero means nothing."

Marigold found the right flap and opened it. Inside was a lovely Christmas Tree.

"How appropriate", Papa said. "I was just going to ask you to come with me and select the loveliest fir-tree to have as our Christmas tree.

...

An hour later Papa and Marigold and Jones, one of Brancaster's tenants, were walking through the forest near Brancaster.

"We will only select it today", Papa said. "It is too early to cut it down."

He stopped beside a giant fir-tree.

"What do you think about this one Jones?" Papa asked. "Is it too big?"

"No, I think it will be alright", Jones said. "It's a big hall."

"Well, Marigold, do you like it?" Papa asked.

The tree was big and green and full of beautiful cones. Marigold more than liked it. She loved it.

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AN: Thank you for reading! Thank you for the reviews! They varm my heart.


	11. The Sweet Baby

Papa looked very strange when he came to the nursery next morning. His hair was messy and he had tears in his eyes.

"Are you sad?" Marigold wondered.

"No, darling, I'm not sad. I am happy", he said. "Something wonderful happened tonight. Let's go and see Mama and she will tell you about it."

"But...we must open the calendar first", Marigold said. How could Papa forget?

"Yes, of course. Today is number eleven. That is two number ones."

Inside the flap was a sweet baby doll. Papa laughed when he saw it.

"This calendar gets things exactly right", he said. "The eleventh of December, that will always be a special day."

...

Mama was sitting up in bed when Marigold and Papa got there.

"Come and meet your little brother, Marigold", she said with a smile. "Come and sit here beside me."

When Marigold got up into the bed she saw that Mama had something in her arms. A very small, sleeping baby.

"Oh, he is very sweet!", Marigold said. "He is so tiny, just like a doll."

...

"Would you like to hold him?" Mama asked.

Mama carefully put the little baby down in Marigold's lap. The baby was much heavier than a doll, but Marigold could still hold him, one arm under his neck and one under his knees. He was so small and so helpless. And still sleeping.

They sat like that for a while, Marigold almost afraid to breathe. Suddenly the baby opened his eyes and looked up at his sister, his eyes full of wonder. He didn't say anything, or cry, he just looked into Marigold's eyes.

...

Papa had tears in his eyes again when Marigold looked up at him.

* * *

AN: Thank you for reading! Thank you for the lovely comments!


	12. The First Snow

"It is snowing!", Papa said when he came to the nursery after breakfast the next day. Papa looked like he always did this morning. There were no tears in his eyes today, if anything he was smiling a little broader than usual.

"Come and have a look!" he told Marigold.

Papa lifted Marigold up so she could see out through the window. It was indeed snowing. Everything was white outside, it must have been snowing for quite some time, perhaps all night.

"Let's open the calendar", Papa said after he had put her down again. "There must be something to do with snow in it today."

...

There was nothing snowy under today's flap. Instead there was a rocking-horse.

"I guess that is alright", Papa said. "It would be rather scary if every day was right."

"I like it", Marigold said. "It's a very cute horse."

"So it is", Papa said. "Let's go out and build a snowman! I loved to make snowmen when I was a boy. Let's build it were Mama can see it from the window."

"And little Herbert."

"Yes, and little Herbert. It will take some time before he can play in the snow himself."

...

The snow was exactly right for making snow-balls. Soon they had a whole family of snowmen. A Papa with an old hat, a Mama with a scarf and a little girl. And a very small snow-baby. All of them had pebbles as eyes, twigs as mouths and carrots as noses.

When they were finished they both looked up at the window. Mama was standing there with little Herbert in her arms. She looked at them with a big smile on her face.

* * *

AN: Thank you for reading! Thank you for all the wonderful reviews!


	13. The Big Castle

When Marigold and Granny Cora travelled to Brancaster, Granny told Marigold that the house she and Mama were moving to was very big, even bigger than Downton.

Marigold didn't really believe that. Downton was a very big house.

...

They were fetched by Brancaster's car at the railroad station. When they got to Marigold's new home she realised that Granny was right - Papa's house was really big.

It was full of giant grey walls and towers and statues. There was even a big stone lion. The house looked like a castle that princesses in fairy tales live in.

Marigold realised that Papa was a remarkable man.

"Is Papa a king?" she asked as they drove into the big opening in the wall. Inside there were more walls and roads and grass and houses.

"Not quite", Granny said with a smile. "But almost!"

...

When they arrived into the castle they were met by her other Granny, Papa's mother.

"Welcome to Brancaster, Marigold", Granny Pelham said. "I'm so happy to have you here."

Then they were having tea and scones and clotted cream and cake and sandwiches, all three of them together.

...

After that Marigold was taken to see her new nursery. There were two rooms, one to play in and one to sleep in, just like there were at Downton.

Marigold's trunks and suit-cases had already arrived. Nanny Holt and the new nanny were busy unpacking Marigold's things and putting them into her new bookshelf and drawers and wardrobes.

Everything was lovely. Marigold put Teddy down on the new bed. But Flip was coming with her and her two Grannies to look at the rest of the castle.

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AN: Thank you for reading! And thank you to all of you for writing reviews!


	14. The Many Visitors

After little Herbert was born they had many guests from Downton Abbey.

...

The first to arrive were Granny Cora and Donk. They were there to see their new grandson, of course, but they were also very happy to see Marigold again.

Herbert couldn't do much else than sleep and eat. So after each of the grandparents had held him in their arms for a while and told Mama how sweet they thought he was, they both went out for a walk in the park with Marigold.

Marigold showed them all her favourite places. Donk was very impressed by the family of snowmen.

"We have to make some outside Downton when we get home", he said. "I'm sure George and Sybbie will love that."

"If we only get some snow..." Granny said.

...

Later, after Granny and Donk had left, Sybbie and her Papa came to Brancaster.

Sybbie gave Marigold a big hug. She had been to see Marigold a couple of times since Marigold moved to Brancaster, and Marigold had been to Downton a couple of times also.

Mama put little Herbert into Sybbie's arms. Her Papa smiled as he looked down at his daughter and the baby.

"Wouldn't you like to have a little brother like that?" he asked Sybbie.

"I don't think so", Sybbie said. "There are already two baby boys in our nursery. And then George. I would rather have a girl to play with, a big girl like Marigold. Can't we stay here a little longer?"

Marigold was very happy to hear Sybbie say that. Sybbie had called her a big girl! She was quite a bit smaller than Sybbie, but at least she wasn't a baby.

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AN: Thank you for reading! Thank you for the kind and interesting comments!


	15. The Baby's Food

Little babies eat strange things, Marigold thought. They suck milk from their mothers' breasts.

...

At first Marigold hadn't liked that little Herbert did that. Mama belonged to Marigold also and the baby didn't have to be in Mama's arms almost all of the time.

Mama explained that babies needed that milk. It was the only thing they could eat without getting a tummy-ache. Then she showed Marigold that little Herbert didn't have any teeth in his mouth - it looked really funny. So of course he couldn't eat an apple or a carrot or any other food that Marigold ate.

Mama said that Marigold herself had been sucking milk from Mama's breasts when she was a baby. Marigold was happy to hear that - and Herbert would later be big enough to eat other things.

...

The grown ups had less time for Marigold after little Herbert was born.

Mama had to spend much time with the baby, because he needed her milk to grow up and be big and strong. There was an extra Nanny now, but both nannies were sometimes busy taking care of the baby.

Papa came to Marigold and opened the calendar every morning after breakfast, and then he usually took her out for a walk or to play in the snow. But the rest of the day he did grown-up things. He managed the estate - whatever that meant - Marigold didn't know.

It was lucky that Marigold had her new Granny. Granny loved Marigold and had always time to be with her. Every day she came into the nursery to read a story or play with Marigold.

...

Marigold thought Granny had been lonely before Marigold moved to Brancaster.

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AN: Thank you for reading! And thank you for the lovely comments!


	16. The Christmas Tree

The time had arrived for the Cristmas tree that Marigold and her Papa had chosen to be cut down and brought into the big hall of the castle.

Papa and five other men raised the Christmas tree up in the hall. Then they used ladders to put on the electrical lights and the big star on the top.

...

The tree looked so lovely with all its cones and the lights on, Marigold thought. But there were still many boxes of ornaments to put up.

Papa and Mama and Granny and Marigold were opening the boxes together.

"Oh, this is lovely", Granny said. Or sometimes: "Oh, I remember that one."

When all the boxes were opened they started putting up all the baubles and tinsels and angels and garlands on the branches.

Little Herbert was also there. They had brought down his cradle, and now he was sleeping in it.

Marigold felt a bit sorry for little Herbert. He missed all the fun. But he was too small to hang up decorations anyhow, of course.

"Was I also sleeping in my cradle during my first Christmas?" Marigold asked Papa.

Papa looked uncertainly at Mama.

"I guess you were..."

"No, darling", Mama said. "You were too big for a cradle. You were almost a year, almost as big as little Herbert will be next Christmas. You could even walk."

Marigold wondered why Mama suddenly had tears in her eyes.

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AN: Thank you for reading! Thank you for the kind comments!

...

I assume here that Marigold was born in February 1923. Edith left her in Switzerland in the summer, returned a couple of months later and then left her with the Drewes, where Marigold spent her first Christmas. In 1924 Edith took Marigold back again and her second Christmas was spent at Downton.


	17. The New Brother

Marigold was almost four years old. Little Herbert was only zero years. Zero means nothing, Papa had told Marigold. No years at all.

Herbert wouldn't even be _one_ year old until just before next Christmas. Now his age was counted in days. Twelve days old he was today, Mama said. Almost two weeks.

...

Herbert was very sweet. But Marigold was happy that she wasn't a baby any longer.

When Marigold thought about all the things _she_ could do that Herbert couldn't, Marigold felt sorry for him. It was much better to be a big sister than a small brother she thought.

Herbert couldn't run or even walk. He couldn't even sit.

Herbert couldn't talk and tell people what he wanted. All he could do was cry. It was difficult to understand what he meant.

Marigold doubted that he understood what people said to him either. But Mama and Papa talked to him anyhow and told Marigold to do the same - he would learn by that.

Herbert couldn't play anything at all. He couldn't even put on or take off his clothes.

Herbert couldn't reach out and take things. Marigold put one of her fingers into his hand and he could hold that. But he couldn't take anything that wasn't put into his hand. He could only wave his arms.

He seemed to like that - waving his arms and waving his legs.

...

Herbert didn't have a Christmas calendar. He couldn't help decorate the Christmas tree. And worst of all - he wasn't going to be able to unwrap any Christmas presents.

Christmas must be just like any other time of the year to him. Nothing special at all.

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AN: Thank you for reading! Thank you for the reviews!


	18. The Special Gift

One morning, after opening one of the last flaps of the calendar, Papa asked Marigold if she would like to go into town with him.

"I want you to help me buy a very special teddy bear for your little brother. He wasn't supposed to be born before Christmas, and now he will need some presents."

...

Marigold looked carefully on all the bears on the shop's shelf. They were all very sweet. Some were very big, some were very small but most of them were something in between. Some were grey, one was even white, but most of them were different shades of brown or yellow.

Then she saw him. The loveliest teddy bear ever. He was brown, with black eyes. He looked like he was smiling at Marigold. He was just the right size also, not too big, since Herbert was so small, but not too small either.

...

On Christmas day little Herbert got a rattle and a silver spoon with his name on it. And some clothes.

And the very sweet teddy bear.

Herbert wasn't really interested in any of his presents.

"Next year he will at least enjoy the wrapping paper", Granny said with a sigh.

...

Marigold felt sorry for the sweet bear that little Herbert wasn't interested in at all.

"He doesn't like his bear", she said to Papa with trembling lips.

"He will like it. Just wait and see!" Papa said. "He only has to get a little bit older. Long before next Christmas little Herbert will love his bear."

"Do you think so?" Marigold asked, feeling a little happier.

"I'm certain of it!" Papa said. "It's a very special bear. The sweetest one in the whole shop."

* * *

AN: Thank you for reading! Thank you for the comments!


	19. The Funny Bear

Marigold got a lot of Christmas presents that year. She got more than little Herbert did - but the grown-ups told her that it was only this year. Herbert was so small and needed so few things.

There were some books among the presents Marigold got. One was called Winnie-the-Pooh.

...

There were many pictures in that book, but also a lot of writing.

Mama told Marigold that she could look at the pictures first, later Mama would read the stories for her.

Papa also wanted to read the book to Marigold. So did Granny.

All of the grown-ups were interested in that book. So Marigold could look forward to hearing the stories read for her three times before long.

...

There was a little boy in the pictures also, and a lot of other animals. There were rabbits, an owl, a donkey and a kangaroo with a baby.

Then there was a piglet, who probably was the bear's best friend. They were often seen walking together.

Winnie-the-Pooh was a very funny bear. He was making lots of strange things in the pictures.

He was climbing a tree. He was flying up into the sky with a baloon. He was floating in mud. He was sailing in an umbrella. He was sitting on a branch of a tree with many jars beside him.

In one picture he was stuck in a hole in the ground. Only his head could be seen. On another picture his legs were inside a rabbit's home. He was probably stuck in the rabbit's door.

...

It was the loveliest book Marigold had ever seen. She was really looking forward to hearing all those stories.

* * *

AN: Thank you for reading! Thank you for commenting!

...

Next chapter will be the last one.


	20. The Best Christmas

This was the best Christmas ever, Marigold thought.

...

It wasn't just the presents, even though the presents were all lovely.

No, the important thing was that she had a family now. She wasn't just the ward of Downton Abbey any longer.

Marigold now had her Mama, her Papa and her little brother. She didn't have any of that last year.

...

This year Marigold was Mama and Papa's little girl and Herbert's big sister. She looked up at them, and her new Granny, time and again as she opened her presents.

They all smiled at her - well, little Herbert was too small, but the rest of them did.

Marigold finally had a family of her own.

* * *

AN: This is the end of the story. Thank you for reading! A special thank you to everyone who has ever written a review for it! They mean a great deal to me.

...

The advent calendar was inspired by a picture of one from that time.

...

Winnie-the-Pooh by Milne, illustrated by Shepard, was first published in October 1926. Marigold and some of the other Downton children probably got it as a Christmas present that year.

...

While writing this I haven't had time to check the dates. In this story Marigold was born on the second of February 1923. Edith breastfed her for four or five months and returned in time for the season.

I haven't understood until now that Edith and Rosamund must have spent the Christmas of 1922 in Switzerland. How her parents must have wondered!

...

Every chapter in this story is exactly 300 words. I found it a good way to know when a chapter was finished. And to make them short enough for me to be able to write one chapter every day.


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